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The GP and the ear

General practitioners are the first members of the medical community to deal with ear problems. In this survey, 11 GPs examined 124 patients using a regular otoscope and a video-otoscope and reported their findings in a 10-item table. The same...

Operate, Operate, Operate! A young surgeon in the 1970s

The book is a memoir of Douglas MacMillan’s experiences as a young surgeon in the 1970s. MacMillan describes his journey from medical school to training and becoming a consultant ENT surgeon. He shares stories about his challenges as a young...

Preoperative CT checklist (using the ‘CLOSE’ mnemonic) improves identification of anatomical variants for endoscopic sinus surgery

Computed tomography (CT) scans of the paranasal sinuses act as roadmaps for endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) and careful inspection preoperatively warns the operating surgeon of critical anatomical variants. This study aimed to investigate if implementation of a pre-ESS CT checklist...

Discharge planning

For a specialty such as ENT in which so many procedures are performed as day case surgery, there is a pressing need for objective discharge criteria to facilitate safe decision making post-op. This review strikes a good balance between prescriptive...

Airway intervention for epiglottitis

This Japanese study was a retrospective review of 83 patients admitted with epiglottitis over a 9.5-year period. The authors found that the factors that were significantly more likely to be present in patients who received airway intervention were: odynophagia; drooling;...

Paper patching for aural fullness

This Belgian prospective study reported on the effect of paper patching on aural fullness of unknown aetiology. It looked at 22 patients who complained of aural fullness without any middle ear pathology. The patients were divided into a treatment group...

Occupational hazards affecting otolaryngologists

This is a questionnaire survey which received responses from 323 clinicians practising otolaryngology. The grades ranged from consultants to junior doctors. It was noted that nearly half of these respondents suffered from some form of musculoskeletal pain and it highlights...

Healthcare Disparities in Otolaryngology

The topic of this book seems timely given the increasing focus in recent years on equality and prevention of discrimination. But my initial reaction was, do we need a 300-page textbook on this topic? Is there so much to say?...

Otoplasty equals happiness

There are frequent criticisms of procedures that are viewed as cosmetic therefore of no benefit to health. Here a German group have looked at the benefit of otoplasty on quality of life. They point out that ‘beautiful people have an...

The increasingly favourable outcomes from endoscopic endonasal approaches for the management of pituitary adenomas

Historically, pituitary tumours have been surgically managed with an open, transcranial approach. Although this approach still has its merits in large intracranial adenomas, technological advancement has allowed smaller tumours to be debulked via a transseptal microscopic technique. These days, the...

Diagnosis of osteonecrosis of the jaw

Although the management of osteonecrosis of the jaw is usually provided by colleagues in maxillofacial surgery, it is essential for ENT surgeons to effectively diagnose the various presentations of this condition. Affected bone that is exposed and necrotic may remain...

Does teaching affect patient satisfaction?

Teaching practice on real patients has several advantages in terms of lower costs and genuine clinical material but it is often a concern that using real patients for undergraduate teaching may result in patient dissatisfaction and many patients would prefer...